The Real Deal: Hoopnotica is an international workout craze that gets you in shape and makes you feel like a kid again. Depending on your level of expertise, you can burn anywhere from 300-600 calories an hour. Hoopnotica utilizes a 1.5 pound hoop that is just enough to make a difference but won’t weigh you down. Their headquarters are based in Venice Beach, but over 30 countries…

The Real Deal: In one word…AMAZING!! Slimmons Studio, one of LA’s best kept secrets, has actually been around since 1974 and has been going strong ever since!!! Tipping the scale at 268 pounds, Simmons decided it was time for him to get in shape and couldn’t find a gym that was right for him, so he decided to open his own! He has since written nine books,…

The Real Deal: IntenSati is a combination of the words Intention and Sati (which means mindfulness). Patricia Moreno created the class to not only promote weight loss, but a healthy and positive state of mind as well. The class is a combination of aerobics, strength training, dance, yoga, and martial arts…along with spoken positive affirmations. The class begins with…

The Real Deal: V Pilates is located in Toluca Lake tucked away on Cahuenga Blvd., but with its hot pink and black exterior, the studio is hard to miss!! Piloxing is a combination of a traditional boxing class with pilates movements and, as we found, a bit of booty shaking! Piloxing requires the use of half pound weighted gloves, which adds an extra cardio blast to the workout. …

The Real Deal: Yoga Booty Ballet (YBB), is a dance/yoga class, but you need not be an expert in either to participate. YBB truly helps to empower you and build your inner strength, all while making you sweat! At the beginning of class you choose your goal or intention for the hour and then chant a mantra of strength. The class is designed to help breakdown your walls of doubt …